"Why was Black Snake Lina here?"
"Why would he show up in a place like this?"
"But nobody said this mission would involve fighting a Sea Emperor."
Murmurs rippled through the Navy ranks.
They had an overwhelming numerical advantage, yet the Navy, spread across the hillsides like white waves, stopped dozens of meters away.
They gripped their weapons and guns tightly, their expressions grave and their eyes wary as they watched Lina standing beside Uta.
"So it's you. Long time no see. Got yourself a new cane sword, I see."
Lina casually teased the man at the head of the Navy forces.
Fujitora spread his legs and crouched slightly, holding a sheathed sword at an angle before him.
"I am an admiral, after all. The World Government isn't stingy enough to deny me a custom-made weapon."
"But what brings you here, sir?"
Fujitora opened his eyes slightly and fixed them on Lina. Though only the whites remained, they seemed to see right through him.
The soldiers behind him didn't move, and neither did Fujitora.
Standing opposite them was a Sea Emperor who commanded countless powerful undead and had the power to destroy an entire country.
Even setting aside the fact that Lina had once defeated him, the man's title as a Sea Emperor alone meant the Navy couldn't attack him lightly.
But—
At this very moment, countless people around the world who had watched Uta's performance through the broadcast had fallen asleep.
In the face of a world-class disaster like this, he had a duty he had to uphold.
Fujitora reversed his grip on the hilt. He had no intention of backing down.
"Though our superiors have ordered us not to fight the Straw Hat Crew, this old man won't back down either. I ask that you hand this young